Committee Vice Chair Phil Salvatore provided a presentation on his attempts to provide a comprehensive report that tracks expenditures the city makes when using money from the local Measure L general sales tax. Measure L is promised to be spent on only public safety and for street projects.

Salvatore said he was surprised by the numbers for the city's Gas Tax Fund, an account used for most street-related projects.

Salvatore's report shows that the city ended the 2013 fiscal year with $1.68 million, up from $1.28 million in FY 2012. Revenue from actual gas taxes hit $612,967, more than Salvatore expected.

“Remember when the city was screaming half way through the year about not getting as much gas tax revenue?” Salvatore asked. “When the numbers came up, I was pleasantly surprised at it.”

He said however, that somethings remain up in the air, based on 2014 projections.

So far to date, it appears as if the city will receive only a modest increase in Gas Tax Revenue, for a total of $1.78 million.

Of that money, $610,328 shows up as a transfer from the city's general fund, which finances most of the general services and departments for Ridgecrest.

Salvatore said that the general fund transfer accounts for most of the Measure L revenue allocated by the city council for road-based projects in FY 2014.

Overall, the council allocated $800,000 to road projects and another $1 million to the Ridgecrest Police Department for FY 2014.

Salvatore noted some concern about $190,000 missing for street projects.

Public Works Administrative Secretary Karen Harker shed some light on the overall amount of revenue dispersed to the street projects.

“Part of the revenue went to Public Works' street department for a maintenance worker,” Harker said. “Part of the money went for design and for street construction, and then we had $100,000 go toward a crack filling machine.”

Harker added that some of the Measure L money allocated for streets projects is going to provide for matching funds.

“Part of that is design and part of that is construction, so you're doing $2 million worth of work and we're spending some of that from Measure L,” Harker said.

Salvatore said the knowledge would require him to work out the kinks and missing information in his report after he consulted with the city's finance department.

Salvatore added that he will adjust his report for inflation based on the 2014 economy. Salvatore's reports have traditionally shown monetary figures in both original dollar amounts and amounts adjusted to match 2013 inflation. As he updates the budget reports for the committee, Salvatore said he will take another approach.

Page 2 of 2 - “I was not happy with how I did things last time for the final report, because I have this big ol' honking thing that I don't want to do again,” Salvatore said.

Future agenda items

As the committee wrapped up its report, committee member Scott Garver proposed a future agenda item regarding early release reports submitted by the Kern County Grand Jury.

The Grand Jury released a report in late May with two recommendations to the city. One recommendation the jury made was that the city hold more regular meetings with the Measure L Committee.

In a July response, City Manager Dennis Speer wrote that city staff routinely attend the committee's meetings and that “the city council recognizes the independent nature of the committee and does not intend to interfere with the committee in the performance of its duties.”

Garver noted that neither the Grand Jury report or Speer's response had been discussed by the council or brought to the Measure L Committee’s attention.

Salvatore brought up concerns about the report not popping up on the committee's radar.

“What concerns me is that this was not brought to our attention and we should have been notified,” Salvatore said.

The committee, by consensus, agreed to place discussion of the Grand Jury report and the city's response to it on the agenda for its next meeting, along with a formal invitation by the committee to council members.